Electric hand-setting mechanism for clocks



(No Model) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. W. BRADLEY & W. N. PAC-KER. ELECTRIC HAND SETTING MECHANISM FOROLOGKS $10 444,482. Patented Jan. 13, 1891.

I FIG-2 1 'IIIIIIIIII/l (No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet z.

W. w. BRADLEY & W. PAGKER. ELECTRIC HAND SETTING MECHANISM FOR CLOCKS.

N0. 444,482. Patented Jan. 13,1891.

FIG.3. M FIG-.6.

(No-Model.) I Y a Sheets-Sheet 3.

W. W. BRADLEY 81; W. N. PAOKER. ELECTRIC HAND SETTING MECHANISM FORCLOCKS.

No. 444,482. Patented Jan. 13,1891.

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

lVlLLIAM N. BRADLEY AND \VILLARD N. IACKER, Ol CANTON, OHIO.

ELECTRIC HAND-SETTING MECHANISM FOR CLOCKS.

SPECIFICATIGN forming part of Letters Patent No. 444,482, dated January13, 1891.

Application filed March 23, 1890- To to whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM W. BRAD- Lnv and WILLARD N. PAOKER, bothcitizens of the United States, residing at Canton, in the county ofStark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Clocks; and we do declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accom iianying drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

The object of our invention is to providea clock that can besynchronized or set by a central or standard clock, which act isaccomplished by a current of electricity that is turned on at certainregular intervals of time, as hereinafter more fully described.

In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the essentialparts of a clock embodying our improvement, the hour, minute, andseconds hands of the same being seen in different positions. Fig. 2 is avertical section of the clock, said section being taken in the plane ofthe main spindle and the three hands being in a position to indicatetwelve oclock. Fig. 3 is a greatly-enlarged vertical section of themainspindle and its accessories, the hour and minute hands thereof beingsynchronized. Fig. 4: is

a horizontal section showing the lower arma ture of the clock in contactwith the poles of a pair of magnets, said section being taken directlyabove said armature. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section showing the upperarn1ature in contact with the other poles of said magnets, said sectionbeing taken in theplane of the seconds-hand spindle. Fig. 6 is a frontelevation of said seconds-hand. Fig. 7 is a plan showing the tooth ofthe magnet in position for engagement with the notch of the tubularbearing. Figs. 8, 9, and 10 show a modification of our invention.

A represents the front pillar-plate of any form of clock whose runningand striking trains may be operated either by weights,

springs, or otherwise, as these details consti tute no part of ourinvention.

13 is the main spindle of the clock, which Serial No. 345,690. (Nomodel.)

spindle traverses a tubular bearing C, projecting horizontally from thepillar-plate A, and having at its front end a conical knob I), which isconstantly pressed by the free end of a bent plate spring D, the fixedend of the latter being attached to the shank c of minute-hand E, whichshank carries a counterbalance c as more clea-rl 7 seen in Fi 3. J D

is a nut that retains this minute-hand on the outer extremity of asleeve F, that is preferably integral with the lower armature G,although it may be attached thereto, if desired, the inner end of saidsleeve being provided with a V-shaped tooth f, adapted at the propermoment to enter a similar shaped notch c of the tubular bearing C. Thisnotch may be located at any place that will correspond with the hour forsynchronizing the clock; but in the present case it is shown on theupper side of said bearing, in order that the setting operation may takeplace at twelve oclock.

H is the cannon-pinion, which may be secured either to the sleeve F orarmature G; but in Fig. 3 said pinion is attached to said armature byscrews 7t 71.. This pinion drives a gear-wheel I, mounted upon astud-shaft J, and said wheel I has a pinion i, that meshes with anotherwheel K. lVheel K turns upon the sleeve F and has an extended hub 7.;,to

which the hour hand L is attached. These devices, however, are preciselythe same as in all ordinary clock-movements, with the slight exceptionof the pinions Hand i being somewhat longer than usual to permit thembeing properly shifted at the right time.

Secured to the front of pillanplate A is a pair of vertical magnets M N,having,r espectivcly, upper poles m n and lower poles in n, which lowerpoles are arranged to attract the armature G, while said upper poles arede signed to attract another armature O, secured to or forming part of asleeve 0, adapted to travel along a reduced portion or shank 1) of theseconds-hand spindle 1?. Furthermore, it is preferred to make the lowerarmature G a plain bar, as seen in Figs. 1 and 4, and to make the upperarmature O a simple disk; but the forms of these devices may be variedto suit circumstances.

R is a spring surrounding the shank p and serving to press the front endof sleeve 0 against the rear side of seconds-hand S, the latter havingan oblique slots, through which said shank passes, as seen in Fig. 6.Secondshand S must be made of some non-magnetic material, so as not tobe aifected by the lower magnets M N; but its extreme point must betipped with iron or steel, in order that said hand may be attractedsolely by the magnet T. (See black point of said hand in Fig. 6.) Thisspring B should be stiff enough to produce suflicient friction, andthereby cause the hand S to turn in unison with the spindle P, while atthe same time said spring must yield and allow the armature O to beretracted the instant the current of electricity is let on. Hand S has acounterbalance s, and is prevented slipping off the shank p by a nut 19.

T is a small magnet projecting from pillarplate A and having its pole orcore 25 in line with the point of hand S when the latter is exactlyvertical, as seen in Fig. 2.

U is a wire leading from the central station or standard clock to theupper magnet T, and after being wound around the core of the same iscarried down and attached to either one of the magnets M or N. u in Fig.2 is a wire connecting these magnets, and U in Fig. 1 is the return-wireleading from them.

When our clock is in its normal or ordinary running position, as seeninFig. 2, the spring R forces the sleeve 0 outwardly, thereby clamping theseconds-hand S between the end of said sleeve and nut 19', by whichsimple expedient the sleeve 0, armature O, and hand S are caused to turnin unison with. spindle P. Furthermore, in this normal position thespring D exerts sufficient force against the conical knob 19 of mainspindle B to draw the sleeve F and its attachments E K H G L f forwardalong said spindle and cause the hands E L to indicate the minutes andhours in the ordinary way. Therefore, it is evident that at everycomplete hour the minute-hand E is vertically above the main spindle Band the tooth f accurately in line with the notch 0; but there can be noengagement of said tooth with said notch until the electrical current isturned on.

In constructing the clock the notch c is made suificiently wide to causethe tooth f to occupyabout ten minutes time in passing from one side tothe other of said notch, thus allowing ten minutes variation, when thesynchronizing process is elfected. Now, as suming that it is desired toperform this operation precisely at twelve oclock, and presuming thatthe clock is but a few minutes slow, it is evident the tooth f will bein line with one side of the V-shaped notch c, as seen in Fig. 7. At theveryinstant the central or standard clock indicates twelve theelectrical current is let on, either by an attendant or automatically,which current acts in the following manner. The upper poles on n firstattract the armature O and draw it back against them, as seen in Fig. 5,thereby leaving the seconds-hand S at liberty to assume the verticalposition seen in Fig. 2, which position is at once reached, because itsslotted bearing 3 is inclined and the end 8 of said hand is loaded; butif thisloaded end should be vertically above the shank p when thecurrent is let on the hand will not remain inverted, but will swingaround to its proper position on account of the inclined slot 8, theattraction of the small magnet T t preventing said handvibrating backand forth until it gradually stops. Hence it is apparent theseconds-hand is arrested in a vertical position the instant the magnetsare thus charged from the central office or standard clock. Reference toFig. 2 shows that the distance between the armature O and poles m nissomewhat less than the distance between the armature G and poles m n,which arrangement enables said armature O to close up slightly inadvance of the lower armature G. The armature G being thus powerfullydrawn against the magnet-poles causes all the attachmen ts of saidarmature to retract accordingly, as seen in Fig. 3. This retractioncompels the tooth f to wedge against the inclined side of notch 0,thereby affording sufficient power to turn forward the cannon-pinion Hand its connected gears I c K, and thus set the hands E and L toprecisely twelve oclock,

at which moment said tooth completely fills said notch, as seen in Fig.4. While this synchronizing process is being carried on, the spring Dbears against the apex of knob b, and thus offers but little resistanceto the turning of the various parts, as j ustdescribed. Therefore thisapex of the knob serves as a fulcrum against which the spring is bent,an exaggerated view of this bend being seen in Fig. 3; but if the clockshould be a few minutes fast when the current is let on the operation ofthe tooth is exactly reversed-that is to say, the retraction of thearmature then causes said tooth to bear against the opposite side of thenotch, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 7, and turn the pinion Hand its gearing and hand connections back to twelve oclock. The currentis simply turned on for the fractional part of a second to produce theabove-described results, and immediately on the breaking of said currentthe springs R D exert their force and restore the various devices totheir normal positions, the act of setting the clock either forward orbackward being accomplished Without stopping or giving any indicationwhile the work is being done, the ten minutes variation provided for bythe width of notch cbeing more than sufficient for a clock that is setdaily.

From the above description it is evident thousands of our clocks couldbe located in the various States of the Union, no matter In themodification of our invention seen in Figs. 8, 9, and 10 the magnets M Nconverge toward each other at their upper ends, and their lower poles ma have small rolls V Y journaled in them, which rolls are adapted whenthe clock is synchronized to enter grooves 10 w on the rear face of aswinging armature W, the latter being attached to the main spindle inthe same manner as the sliding armature G. X is a spring so coiledaround the main spindle B as to force the armature \V and itsattachments outwardly or to their normal positions. The arrows in Fig. 8show the direction the armature swings when the current is let on.Finally, it is evident the vibration of the seconds-hand b could bearrested by a suitable magnet placed beneath it, and we reserve theright of so changing the construction of the clock or of dispensingentirely with the seconds hand.

"0 claim as our invention 1. The combination, with a synchronizingclock,of a magnet or a pair of magnets which when charged will first set theseconds-hand and then set the hour and minute hands, sub stantially asherein described.

2. The combination, in a synchronizingclock, of spindle P p, armature O0, mounted upon the shank of said spindle, spring R, forcing saidarmature outwardly, a secondshand 5, applied to said shank and clampedbetween the sleeve 0 and nut j), and a magnet or magnets, as M m N 92for retracting said armature, as herein described.

The combination, in a synchronizingclock, of the freely-swii'igingseconds-hand S and a magnet, as T, for arresting the vibrations of saidhand when released from its driving-spindle, substantially as hereindescribed.

4.-. The combination, in a synchronizingclock, of the main spindle B,having a conical knob Z), the tubular bearing C, having a V- shapednotch c, the armature G, having a sleeve F and Vshaped tooth f, theminutehand E, attached to said sleeve and having a shank e, to which issecured the bent platespring D, that bears against said knob Z), acannon-pinion 1-1, that turns in unison with said armature and drivesthe hour-hand gear ing, and a magnet or pair of magnets, as M m N n,that retract said armature and its attachments and cause said tooth toengage with said notch, as herein described, and for the purpose stated.

5. In a synchronizing-clock arranged to operate as herein described, thespring-pressed seconds-hand S, mounted upon the spindleshank p andhaving an oblique slot 8', for the purpose stated.

(5. The combination, in a synchronizingclock, of a sleeve shiftablealong the main spindle, which sleeve is in constant geared connectionwith the clock-train and carries the hour and minute hands, and anarmature that operates said sleeve and thereby sets the clock when theelectrical current is let on, substantially as herein described.

7. The combination, in a synchronizingcloek, of a seconds-hand spindle.a stop or hearing secured thereto, a seconds-ham d turning freely uponsaid spindle, and a springpressed armature that normally forces saidhand against said stop and causes said hand to revolve in unison withsaid spindle, substantially as described.

8. A synchroniZing-clock provided with a tubular guide or bearing forthe main spin dle, aV-shaped notch in the front end of said bearing, andan armature having aV-shaped tooth that is drawn into said notch whenthe electrical current is let on, substantially as described.

i A synchronizing-clock having a magnet for setting the hour, minute,and seconds hands and an auxiliary magnet that arrests the seconds-handwhen the clock is set, substantially as described.

10. A synchroniZing-olock having hour and minute hands which aresimultaneously shifted to set the clock by means of a charged magnet andthen automatically restored to their normal positions when theelectrical current is broken, said hands being carried by a sleevehaving constant geared connection with the clock-train, as hereindescribed.

11. A synchronizing-clock having hour, minute, and seconds hands whichare simultaneously shifted to set the clock by means of a charged magnetor magnets and then automatically restored to their normal positionswhen the electrical current is broken, said hands being carried by asleeve having constant geared connection with the clock-train,substantially as herein described.

12. A syn chronizing-clock having one armature for setting thesecondshand, another armature for simultaneously setting the hour andminute hands, and a magnet which attracts said armatures when charged,the seconds-hand armature being located near the pole of said magnet andthe other armature more remotely from the opposite pole, for the purposestated.

13. The combination, in a synchronizingcloek, of a main spindle, alongitudinallyshiftable sleeve mounted thereon, which sleeve carries thehour and minute hands and is in constant geared connection with theclock-train, an armature at the inner end of said sleeve, an electromagnet or magnets to attract said armature and draw back said sleeve andits attachments, whereby positive contact is made with a device thatcauses said sleeve to turn on said spindle, and a spring that restoresthe operative parts to their normal positions when the current isbroken, substantially as herein described.

1%. A synchronizing-clock having hour and minute hands carried byasleeve having constant geared connection with the clock-train and arevolving armature attached to said sleeve for the purpose ofsimultaneously retraeting and setting said hands, as herein devolvingarmatures when the electrical current scribed, is let on, substantiallyas herein described.

15. A synchronizing-clock having hour and In testimony whereof We affixourslgnatures minute hands carried by a sleeve having conin presence oftwo wltnesses. 5 stant geared connection with the clock-tram, VILLI-AM VBRADLEY.

an a 'mature attached to sald sleeve and re- WILLARD PACKER v0l\' mgtherewith, a seconds-hand fnctlonally coupled to a spindle by arevolving spring- Witnesses: l pressed armature, and a magnet 01' pairof ALLEN CARNES,

1o magnets whose opposite poles attract said re- ALBERT HINE.

